Tankers
GETTING STARTED To obtain a Tank, you will first need to reach level 3 to gain access to Tank Crew. Your first tank will be free of charge and you will have the option the first 3 light tanks depending on your faction. The tank should be equipped by default to your crew, but in future make sure to equip your new tanks by pressing the check marker before heading into battle. At this point I would recommend you to get familiar with the tank controls. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS How do I get started? : After you buy your tank crew player, you will start with the first light tanks which are the M2A2 if you are US player,Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. A if you have joined German side and the T-38 Model 1937 if you joined Russia. These tanks are only armed with machine guns and low damage armour piercing rounds, so don't go head to head with heavier tanks, but use your speed and mobility to take out enemy infantry and help your own capture objectives. AND don't worry - it won't take long to level up to the 2nd tank. How do I level up to get better tanks? : The most points are awarded for penetrating and killing enemy armor. This will be the fastest way to level up. Keep in mind, some tanks will have a harder time penetrating higher tier tanks. The basic structure of the Combat ribbon experience in the game works the same among everything. For tanks you must level the current tank category (light/medium/heavy/tank destroyer) and all tanks level the armor damage ribbon. How far you have to go can be shown by clicking on the light/medium/heavy tank destroyer ribbon, which will expand out the ribbon progression and when you earn the next tanks in that category. I get warnings about my tank being low on ammunition, how do I replenish it? : If you have your tanker character selected on the heroes screen (Game lobby) click on the vehicles tab. Here you will see the vehicles you currently have enabled for your tanker. The green bars indicate health and ammunition. As you lose tanks in battle and fire ammo, these bars will drop. It will cost you credits to replenish them. You can also setup auto repair and auto refill ammunition for the tanks to eliminate having to upkeep them all the time. How can I upgrade my tank? : There really aren't upgrades for the tank itself. You can however pick different kinds of ammo (which are more expensive) and add either an infantry crate or panzerfaust crate to the back of your tank for infantry to use. You should always put something on the back of your tank as it's a cheap investment that helps your team a lot. The more expensive armor piercing ammunition the better chance to destroy enemy tanks. I cannot damage some enemy tanks. Why is that? : Not all tanks are made equal. Some tanks have much better armor in the front, some have lower profiles, some have bigger cannons, some move faster. It will take some time to learn the strengths and weaknesses of all the tanks. Another thing to keep in mind is related to assault teams: if you see the enemy team has medium or heavy tanks and you only have light tanks, it's probably not worth jumping in a light tank as you will be killed with impunity. : : : ARMOR TIPS How about some tips with tanks? :: Surprising few people know you can hold control (Ctrl) while in third person view in a tank. This allows you to have a bigger view but closes the hatch partically so your tanker isn't so exposed to enemy snipers or campers. Try to not camp in one spot for too long. Eventually someone will come hunt you down. A tank on the move is a tank that's hard to kill! What badges should I use? :: Honestly, gunner is the only one worth using if you have one badge slot. Reload faster equals better chance to win. How do I unlock medium, heavy tanks, and tank destroyers? :: As you play with your light armor and do damage and kill other enemy tanks, you will earn points in the armor ribbon. Points are given for doing damage to enemy armor (your round must penetrate to do this, "impact angle too high" won't count) with the most points given for destroying enemy armor. As you progress though this ribbon, you will unlock the tank destroyer. As you use your light tanks and level the light tank ribbon, you will unlock the first medium tank. Once you unlock the medium tank, you have to buy and equip the tank and start using it. When using the medium tank and killing other tanks you will level the medium tank ribbon, unlocking the next medium tanks and eventually the heavy tank. That enemy armor has a much better canon/armor than me. It keeps killing me! What should I do? :: It depends on how outgunned you are. If this is your first game in the M2A2 or Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. A and you don't have efficient armor penetrating rounds then there's realistically very little to do. If you have better armor penetrating rounds or an anti-tank supply crate on your tank then your best bet is to take a wide flank of that tank, come up behind it and hit it hard. On the other hand if you are being ruined by the second medium tank (which has serious front and side armor) then your best bet is to either approach from behind or alternatively work in a team to lure it into a worse position. :: Special note: M24 Chaffee's This tactic is your best bet for almost any time you are outmatched and your rounds will have little effect if engaged from front on (or even the side on later tank armor systems) however perhaps the most common outgunning that will occur is between the best American light tank, the M24 Chaffee and the best German light tank, the Panzerkampwagen (38)t Ausf. E. The Chaffee has the armor base of a light tank, it takes about four armor penetrating rounds to kill it, but the main gun of a tank destroyer/much heavier tank (75mm, compared to the Ausf. E's 39mm). As such a not uncommon reaction to hearing the apocalyptic sound of that 75mm cannon firing and the bolt of laser red traversing the field to take off almost half of some tank's health is for all German tankers to announce the presence of a very serious problem to tanking operations. To properly engage the Chaffee it is best to try and do so from its slightly more vulnerable flank or rear where it will take three good shots instead of four, evening up the odds somewhat. Sometimes the situation, or fortune, dictates you engage its frontal armor. Don't be afraid to do this, the imperative here is to do so from some concealment so the Chaffee will struggle to locate you until after your second shot. With two shots left to go and the Chaffee's larger cannon to reload (even if they have the gunner medal equipped) you would have to miss a shot, or they would have to move, to lose that battle. On the other hand if the Chaffee spots you first and gets the first hit on you then you need to move behind cover immediately. If none is forthcoming then hope they are not able to keep up with your erratic driving or alternatively just bail and accept you've been out-tanked. If you're playing as a Chaffee but aren't finding yourself with quite the edge you ought to have you should consider hanging further back than the other light tanks. Your tank's optics (first person firing view) are very good and if you can hit armor/personnel from a concealed position you can do immense damage. There is nothing more terrifying (from personal experience) than a Chaffee played so well you have no idea where they are. Why should I modify my tank? :: :: Modifying tanks is extremely important to maintaining a battlefield edge. At present there are only two kinds of modification available, different ammo types and a choice of two supply crates for the back of your tank. :: Ammo Types - the base ammo you get for every light tank can be vastly improved. Regular rounds, whether 7.62mm or 39mm, can be replaced by variants that have different roles. There are three kinds: :# HE, High Explosive. These are for doing damage to infantry and have a much wider explosive area of effect than any vanilla rounds or armor penetrating rounds. Use these to engage enemy infantry on the ground or in buildings. :# AP, Armor Piercing. These are for increased armor damage and have, instead of the explosive head that HE has, a metal head designed to punch through armor and wreck mechanisms behind. :# APCR, Armor Piercing Composite Rigid. These are the most effective at engaging enemy armor, they combine a stiffer metal head with more explosive power shifting, for instance, the ability of a 39mm AP round to penetrate 30mm of armor at 100m into the ability to penetrate 60mm of armor at that same distance. :: Supply Crates - what supply crate you choose depends on how effect you believe your tank to other tanks you are likely to deploy against. If you believe it is likely that your tank will require the assistance of hand held anti-tank weapons against other tanks then equip an anti-tank supply box that will encourage infantry to draw from it to engage enemy armor, and also gives you the opportunity to do the same if you encounter armor you are not able to successfully engage from the front. On the other hand if you are confident in your ability to destroy enemy armor but fear for infantry with anti-tank grenades, mines or hand-held weapons engaging you, then equip an infantry supply box that will encourage infantry to remain near to you or at least stop near you to rearm and possibly save you from a threat you cant see. :: :: :: TANK DRIVING When you get in the tank, you can use C to switch between driver/MG positions. Driver positions: However when you are in driver position you use the mouse wheel to switch between: ::# 3rd person outside ::# 1st person inside (Window) ::# Zoom view inside (Gunsight view) ::# Tank mobility and vision are increased in the third person view, at the cost of any protection from small arms fire. Use the crouch button to get your head down a bit. ::# Inside the tank, lower mobility and restricted vision/view are inflicted, but there is full protection from infantry fire and grenades. (Sticky grenades and H3 will still harm your tank.) MG positions: (Vehicle dependent. Some armored vehicles do not have a machine gun mounted on the outside.) ::# Outside MG ::# Bow-mounted MG ::# Coaxial MG Tank Movement: ::* Use shadows, trees, and other objects for cover and camouflage. ::* Look for higher or non-obvious positions from which to effectively support advances or defend positions ::* Ensure that when you are engaging enemy Armor you do so with your maximally thick armor plating facing them (the front of the tank). Engaging with your flanks exposed will reduce your survivability. ::* When assaulting urban areas stay close to infantry or move quickly, loitering on corners where you have low visibility of vantage points will result in anti-tank fire you can do little about. ::* Be careful of harsh gradients, sudden drops or rises and awkwardly slanting ground. Though tanks have all-terrain tracks that give them good traction and maneuverability on most ground, they are not always stable and flipping your tank over is easier than you think! ::* You cannot see over the edge of a sharp ridge. Be careful of infantry or tanks lurking below the horizon. It can be difficult to bring your gun to bear whilst your tank is bouncing around.